As known, commercial aircrafts and from now on a lot of aircrafts belonging to the general aviation, are provided with on-board avionics systems allowing to define and memorize a full flight plan as well as to calculate the current position of the aircraft and to guide it according to a programmed trajectory. The latter is generally previously discussed with the authorities in charge of managing the air traffic.
As long as the aircraft follows the programmed trajectory, the avionics system has available all the information needed for managing the evolution of the speed vector of the aircraft, including in this process optimization objectives, possible constraints on the trajectory and the respect of the aircraft performance. On the other hand, when the aircraft deviates from the original flight plan, the on-board systems do not have available all the information needed for predicting and fully managing the evolution of the future trajectory. The latter could be the result of a sequence of instructions from the air traffic control, and most often of a discussion between the pilots and the ground control in the case of a radar guidance, or it could be completely managed by the pilots, for instance upon a sight approach phase. Whatever the situation being considered, humans actors should therefore each time determine, evaluate and implement the trajectory.
The present invention aims at solving these drawbacks and at aiding pilots during the approach phase.
A common radar guidance by the air traffic control is a relatively simple approach method for the pilots. On the other hand, when the external situation becomes complicated, for instance because of bad weather conditions or a very large number of airplanes converging to the runway, it could happen that the interception heading of the approach axis proposed by the air traffic control, or a delayed descent authorization, results in the aircraft following a trajectory that does not allow to dissipate all the energy. There is then a risk of over-speed, or in general of the usual conditions referred to as “stabilized approach” not being met.
The same risks could occur when pilots are authorized to carry out a sight approach phase. In such a situation, tiredness, operational pressure, lack of reference points on the ground (for instance upon a night approach phase on the sea) and/or lack of training are all factors able to result in a bad evaluation of the trajectory to be followed.
The present invention aims at solving these drawbacks. It relates to a method for aiding the crew of an aircraft, in particular of a transport airplane, upon an approach phase for the purpose of landing on a landing runway of an airport.